Dancing Away With My Heart
by Michelle285
Summary: Della remembers the night Perry left.


_ Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or the song. By now you should know who the characters belong to, the song belongs to Lady Antebellum. _

_ A/N: This group is seriously one of my favorites. Yes, they are country…but they really don't sound like it…too much. This song is a biiiiiiit of a stretch, but I think I can make it work. At least, I hope I can. Also, I really HATE writing in first person, but I thought that's the only way this would work. Enjoy!_

The night he left is still so clear. At least, I remember it perfectly. I oftentimes wonder if Perry ever thinks about it. I wonder if he even remembers it. I especially wonder if he regretted it in any way. Every day, I regret that I didn't tell him my true feelings. 

_I finally asked you dance on the last slow song,_

_Beneath that moon that was really a disco ball,_

_I can still feel my head on your shoulder,_

_And hoping that song would never be over._

Perry finally asked me to dance. I glanced at my watch just before he did and knew the place was about to close down. I knew this was the last slow song for a number of reasons. One, the time was so late. Two, the place had a tradition. When they played the last slow song of the night they lowered a disco ball for it. I find that kind of cheesy, but I suppose some people—including the owners—think it helps with romance. I remember sighing when they lowered the ball but smiled when Perry asked me to dance.

Dancing with Perry has always been one of my favorite things to do. That night, I got lost in the feel of his hands gently caressing my back and took a deep breath. I laid my head on his shoulder carefully, wondering about his reaction. Not that I hadn't done it before, I just had never done it in such circumstances. When he didn't seem to have any objections I relaxed and moved my head to a more comfortable position. I vainly hoped I could stay in this position for a while. I foolishly hoped the song wouldn't be over for a while. Maybe it would never be over!

___I haven't seen you in ages,_

_Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are,_

_For me you'll always be eighteen,_

_And beautiful, and dancin' away with my heart._

That night invades my thoughts many times during the day. I can't help but let it, especially since I haven't seen Perry in such a long time. I know it's only been six years since he moved away, but it seems like ages. I didn't realize it when he was here, but he was what made my job fun. He _was_ my job. I loved every minute I spent with him. Now that he's gone…it seems like all my days (and nights) go by much slower.

___I brushed your curls back so I could see your eyes,_

_And the way you moved me was like you were reading my mind,_

_I can still feel you leaning to kiss me,_

_I can't help but wonder if you ever miss me._

During the second verse of the song, I lifted my head from his shoulder. When I did, he gently brushed my hair back. He looked into my eyes and I felt like he was looking into my soul. I shivered at the emotions in his blue orbs and he held me just a bit tighter. I felt like I was in heaven.

At that moment, I really wanted him to kiss me. It was stupid, even then I knew that, but I couldn't help it. I didn't say anything, but it seemed like he was reading my mind. He was always pretty good at that. He leaned in to kiss me then, but I'll never know how his lips felt. At that moment, the song ended. It seemed to break both of us out of our trance and that was the end of the night. He walked away then and I didn't see him again.

___I haven't seen you in ages,_

_Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are._

_For me you'll always be eighteen,_

_And beautiful, and dancin' away with my heart._

I usually can't get through a day without wondering where Perry is. I mean, I know where he was supposed to go the next morning, but that doesn't mean he's still there now. I wonder if he got offered a position somewhere else and took it. He was always looking for the next big thing, cases or otherwise. I wonder if he misses his practice here. He laughingly told me to take over, so it would always be here if he wanted it back, but he knew and I knew I couldn't and wouldn't do that. I almost wish I had. At least I wouldn't have to miss him so much. I would have the hope that he would come back and if he didn't, I would still have a part of him.

___You headed off to college at the end of that summer and we lost touch,_

_I guess I didn't realize even at the moment I lost so much._

Perry moved to San Francisco the next morning. That's why we were all out the night before. We were "celebrating his life in Los Angeles," according to Paul, and giving him kind of a going away party. I haven't seen him since that night six years ago.

Perry and I talked about exchanging letters, but I knew it would never happen. I have written a letter so many times, but never gathered up the nerve to send it. I've always said I'll send it if he sends me one first. I know how much he hates mail and I don't want to bother him with just another letter he has to read. Besides, his secretary would probably tell him it wasn't an important letter anyway. I've waited for him to send me one, but I know that's unlikely, because of how much he hates the mail. He also doesn't like to write. He much prefers dictation and having his new secretary take dictation for a letter to me and then type it would be strange. Besides, I wouldn't like it if he just sent me a typed letter with his signature on it, like the briefs I used to type and like the opinions I'm sure he writes now.

I knew I would miss him, but I don't think I knew just how much until he left. I knew I would lose my best friend and my job and that made me sad, but I didn't think I would lose as much as I did. I didn't think I would lose the person that made my life fun, the person that almost made my life worth living.

___I haven't seen you in ages,_

_Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are,_

_For me you'll always be eighteen,_

_And beautiful, and dancin' away with my heart.__  
><em>_Na, na, na, na,_

_Na, na, na, na,_

_Na, na, na, na,_

_Away with my heart._

_Na, na, na, na,_

_Na, na, na, na,_

_Na, na, na, na_.

Getting into bed tonight, I sighed. I knew I would have the dream again. I don't have it every night, but most nights, since Perry is never far from my thoughts. It always begins and ends the same. It begins with Perry asking me to dance. The song is different every time, as is the place and the people that surround us. The ending is the most depressing of all. He leans in to kiss me but never makes the connection. Then someone (that person changes too) cuts in and interrupts our dance. I'm left standing there and Perry leaves, dancing away with my heart.

_As I said, a bit of a stretch, but it works, right? Depressing, yes, but I couldn't help it. The song is a bit depressing and so the fic naturally turned into something depressing. Btw, another fic is in the works. It will probably take a while to be posted, but know I am working on one. Anyway, back to this one, if you liked it, review please. If you didn't, review please. Thanks so much for reading! _


End file.
